I'm sure you've seen advertisements on TV or signs in the grocery story, highlighting the importance of buying foods from local farmers. It is a trend that I expect to continue. There are a variety of reasons buying local will persist, but there are certainly some things you need to be careful of. You can't just assume that your neighbor is better than someone else's just because they're closer. I will start with the benefits and then highlight potential negatives to consider.
First, it's likely that local food was picked more recently than produce coming from across the country or another country, meaning it's fresher and more nutritious. Local food will likely last longer and have more nutrients. Many produce items lose nutrients quickly. Frozen and canned food are often more nutritious than some products on the shelf at the supermarket, although most would consider the latter to be fresher.
The more money you spend on local produce and other businesses, the greater the positive impact it has on your community. Higher income levels mean more disposable income for your neighbors and surrounding area. This can only help increase the spending and investing that takes place close to home. Furthermore, tax receipts will increase as well, meaning more funding for schools, roads, and other important public spending areas.
Eating local produce, particularly if your community as a whole is focused on it, can help out greatly in emergencies. When disaster strikes, as it did with Hurricane Sandy in 2012, there can be significant issues in the supply chain. Many grocery aisles in the Northeast were bare with new deliveries days from arriving. This happened with gasoline as well. Although it is not a guarantee at all, eating local produce could help in times of need. To me, this is a bonus to all of the other positive benefits I already mentioned.
There are two important caveats to be aware of. The aforementioned benefits assume the local farms do not use genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), which are basically seeds whose genes have been altered to add desired traits like drought resistance or insect repellant or to minimize the effects of negative traits. GMOs have never proven to be safe while the list of harms and risk factors seem to grow daily.
It is also important to avoid local farms that use chemical pesticides. You negate the positive benefits of buying local if the products carry carcinogens in and on the food. Local farms should be certified organic or at least use organic farming principles, assuming you trust the farmer's word. Many farmers avoid costly USDA certification, but without inspections and certification, you are taking somewhat of a leap of faith. The good news is that these farmers live in the local community and their reputations are essential to business survival.
The benefits of buying local produce are significant if you avoid the dangers of genetically-modified seeds and cancer-causing chemicals. These dangers are too great to consider local products. It would be better to buy organic or non-GMO produce from greater distances.
First, it's likely that local food was picked more recently than produce coming from across the country or another country, meaning it's fresher and more nutritious. Local food will likely last longer and have more nutrients. Many produce items lose nutrients quickly. Frozen and canned food are often more nutritious than some products on the shelf at the supermarket, although most would consider the latter to be fresher.
The more money you spend on local produce and other businesses, the greater the positive impact it has on your community. Higher income levels mean more disposable income for your neighbors and surrounding area. This can only help increase the spending and investing that takes place close to home. Furthermore, tax receipts will increase as well, meaning more funding for schools, roads, and other important public spending areas.
Eating local produce, particularly if your community as a whole is focused on it, can help out greatly in emergencies. When disaster strikes, as it did with Hurricane Sandy in 2012, there can be significant issues in the supply chain. Many grocery aisles in the Northeast were bare with new deliveries days from arriving. This happened with gasoline as well. Although it is not a guarantee at all, eating local produce could help in times of need. To me, this is a bonus to all of the other positive benefits I already mentioned.
There are two important caveats to be aware of. The aforementioned benefits assume the local farms do not use genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), which are basically seeds whose genes have been altered to add desired traits like drought resistance or insect repellant or to minimize the effects of negative traits. GMOs have never proven to be safe while the list of harms and risk factors seem to grow daily.
It is also important to avoid local farms that use chemical pesticides. You negate the positive benefits of buying local if the products carry carcinogens in and on the food. Local farms should be certified organic or at least use organic farming principles, assuming you trust the farmer's word. Many farmers avoid costly USDA certification, but without inspections and certification, you are taking somewhat of a leap of faith. The good news is that these farmers live in the local community and their reputations are essential to business survival.
The benefits of buying local produce are significant if you avoid the dangers of genetically-modified seeds and cancer-causing chemicals. These dangers are too great to consider local products. It would be better to buy organic or non-GMO produce from greater distances.
About the Author:
Please see my website for more information dangers of food additives and preservatives or my blog at Natural claim on food label
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